Remember Your Promises
by Medusa -the writer
Summary: Short tag to 5.22, the season finale. So, spoilers for that episode.


Remember Your Promises

By Medusa

Tag to 5.22. Spoilers for that episode.

Probably the shortest fic I've ever written. This one surprised me. It's something that took root in my brain after watching the season finale and wouldn't leave me alone. So, here it is.

My thanks to Kam for a very speedy beta!

As Dean knocked on Lisa's front door for the second time in a few short weeks, he knew that he had to try his hardest to make a go of their relationship. It was something he'd thought would never happen, something that was his fantasy dream. Sam had caught a glimpse of it when they'd gone through the dream walking, God, so long ago it seemed. And Sam had made him promise that he'd go to Lisa and live that dream.

Lisa opened the door and Dean's voice almost failed him as he asked if it was too late for that beer she'd offered him the last time he had stood in this very spot. Back thenDean had thought that he was tying up his loose ends before going to seek Michael out and say yes. Strange, how it had all turned around. Never in all his wildest nightmares did he ever imagine he would have supported Sam saying Yes to Lucifer. And yet it had happened.

Thinking about it now, Dean realized just how naive they had been to think that they could pull off tricking Lucifer. Of course Lucifer had known about the rings. But in the end, Sam was a hero. Sam had made the ultimate sacrifice, and now he was locked in the cage with Lucifer, Michael and Adam. Two sets of brothers, locked for eternity in Purgatory. A flash of jealousy rippled through Dean. It should have been him in there with Sam, not Adam. But ultimately Dean knew he'd played his part, that he had somehow helped Sam to gain the upper hand and fight Lucifer off long enough to fall into the pit. When Sam had closed his eyes, that peaceful look of total acceptance coming over him, Dean was the proudest he'd ever been of his baby brother.

But it broke his heart to let him go.

And now Sam was gone. And all Dean had left was the promises he'd made. To not try to get Sam back, and to go live the Apple Pie Life that had been ripped away from him when he was four years old.

Lisa took him in and Dean had sobbed on her shoulder, telling her as much as he thought she'd believe without calling for the men in white coats. He told her that Sam was gone, and that he was done with hunting. That he wanted to try and make a life for himself with her and with Ben. If she'd have him.

Nearly a month passed before Dean summoned up the courage to open the trunk of the Impala again. On that first night he'd taken only his duffle of clothes in with him, the rest of the contents left untouched. Dean was almost tempted to weld the trunk shut, locking the tools of his past trade and all that remained of Sam's belongings entombed in its bowels forever. But practicality won out the day that Ben asked him if Dean would mind being one of the carpool dads for the baseball team on Saturday.

At first Dean baulked at the idea, but Ben practically begged him to do it and Lisa encouraged him. He'd agreed reluctantly. He had thought to take Lisa's car but Ben wanted him to take the Impala. All his friends thought it was the coolest car, and they'd be able to easily fit Ben's three best friends on the team in the backseat and take all the gear in the trunk. Which meant that Dean finally had to face cleaning it out.

The first thing he had to do was to go and find a sturdy lockable trunk to store all the weapons away. The hardware store had just the thing, designed for tools of a different trade but serviceable just the same. It was duly delivered and Dean set it at the back of the garage, accessible should it be necessary but far enough away to be out of sight, out of mind.

Late that night, well after Ben had gone to bed and the neighborhood had settled, he backed the Impala into the garage and finally opened the trunk. He uncovered the hidden compartment and lovingly pulled each weapon and talisman out, one by one, and stacked them neatly into the strongbox. He covered the compartment over with the false floor and was about to close the trunk when he saw Sam's duffle tucked neatly away into the far back of the trunk. He reached in for it with a shaking hand and pulled it towards himself. It seemed so little to show for a life that had given so much.

For the last month Dean had tried hard to simply not think of Sam. Locking down the painful things was something Dean was good at, and had succeeded until now. He stared down at the innocuous looking bag but couldn't bring himself to do more than stare at it now that he had it right there in front of him. It seemed wrong to just lock it away with the weapons and forget about it. As much as he was trying to put Sam out of his thoughts, it seemed too final. A lump formed in Dean's throat as he touched the zipper and slid it open with trembling fingers.

Sam's clothes were neatly rolled inside the bag. The toiletry pack tucked in between the shirts and jeans, and sitting on top of everything was a newspaper wrapped packet with an envelope taped to it. On the envelope was Dean's name, written in Sam's messy scrawl. Dean picked it up and ran his finger over the letters as they blurred. He turned and sat on the edge of the trunk as he opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper inside.

"Hey, Dean.

I guess if you're reading this we pulled it off and I'm gone.

I know I didn't say it enough growing up, but you have been the most awesome big brother anyone could wish for. You've always been there for me and I don't know what I would have done without you. Sure, we've had our moments and I know I've let you down plenty, but I'm hoping that I've finally managed to do something right.

The packet attached to this contains something that is yours. I gave it to you a long time ago and it meant a lot that you always wore it. It hurt when you threw it away, but I couldn't let you leave it behind. It wasn't just a God-finder to me, it meant a whole lot more than that and I figured one day you'd maybe want it back. So I kept it. Perhaps one day you'll be able to look at it and remember me as the little brother who gave it to you.

Remember your promises, and don't be too much of a jerk.

Sam"

Dean had trouble reading the last lines as his vision blurred and tears spilled down his cheeks. He sniffed and ran his hand over his face, wiping the moisture away. Then he tore open the newspaper wrapper and held up the bronze pendant that had been Sam's gift to him the Christmas that Sam had lost his innocence. He slipped the cord over his head and felt the familiar weight of it rest against his chest. Then he zipped the duffle closed and gently placed it inside the lockbox before closing the lid and snapping the two heavy padlocks on. He closed and locked the Impala's trunk and the garage, stopping to stare up at the stars in the clear night sky as he crossed the backyard.

"You may be gone, Sammy, but I will always remember you, little brother."

The back door to the house opened and Lisa called softly to him, "Dean, honey, are you coming inside?"

Dean could have sworn he heard Sam's voice in his head, saying, "You can do this, Dean. It's what you've dreamed about, and now it's all yours. Just take it one day at a time."

He turned to look at the woman who had opened her heart to him and realized that taking it one day at a time was all he _could_ do.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

The End – until season 6!


End file.
